External Tools and Integrations
Many software maintained and supported by external organizations supports the export and management of PBCore metadata. If you manage software that supports PBCore and you would like to have it included on this list, please contact PBCoreInfo@wgbh.org.
MediaInfo
MediaInfo is an open-source tool that creates technical metadata documentation for video and audio files, such as format, codec ids duration, bit rate, bit depth, chroma subsampling, channels, etc. MediaInfo supports many types of metadata outputs, including PBCore 1.2 and PBCore 2.1. To download MediaInfo, visit https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo/Download
MediaInfo’s PBCore export creates PBCore InstantiationDocuments that are constructed from information gathered by MediaInfoLib. Additional metadata that is included in an Instantiation document but may not be reportable by MediaInfo (such as instantiationGenerations and instantiationLocation) can also be added to the created PBCore documents. Read more about using MediaInfo’s PBCore export here.
The development of MediaInfo’s PBCore 2.1 export was funded by the NEH as part of the PBCore Development and Training Project.
ProTrack Broadcast Management System
ProTrack is a professional broadcast management solution that centralizes content metadata and facilitates multiple distribution workflows from a single point of control, used by 98% of PBS member stations. To learn more about getting started with ProTrack, contact Myers InfoSys.
There are two methods for exporting PBCore XML from ProTrack:
Exporting PBCore from the Program Search (PDF)
Exporting PBCore from the Air Date Search (PDF)
This documentation can also be viewed on the ProTrack KnowledgeBase.
The development of ProTrack’s PBCore 2.1 export was funded by the NEH as part of the PBCore Development and Training Project.
Collective Access
Collective Access is an open-source software for managing and publishing museum and archival collections. Providence, the core cataloguing and data management application of Collective Access, includes some ‘out-of-the-box’ support for existing metadata standards, including PBCore. XML documentation for Collective Access’ PBCore installation profile can be found on the Collective Access GitHub The profile is supported at install-time as a configuration profile for item-level (instantiation/intellectual content) cataloguing, and as an export target. (This profile was last revised in 2013).
In 2019 a PBCore 2.1 profile was developed with funding by the NEH as part of the PBCore Development and Training Project. This installation profile can be found on the PBCore GitHub, along with some general documentation.
Many users of Collective Access choose to configure their own installation profiles rather than using an out-of-the-box version. Below you can find examples of installation profiles from several Collective Access users who have incorporated PBCore into their data management applications:
The South Side Home Movie Project
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Omeka
Omeka is an open-source web publishing platform for sharing digital collections and creating media-rich online exhibits. Omeka’s core functionality includes elements from the Dublin Core metadata schema, but Omeka’s functionality can be augmented with plugins that allow the addition of elements from other metadata standards.
In 2019, a PBCore plugin for Omeka was developed with funding from the NEH as part of the PBCore Development and Training Project. The plugin supports the addition of PBCore metadata elements to describe audiovisual content within Omeka on both the asset and the instantiation level. Documentation for the use of this plugin is available on the Omeka website.
ArchivesSpace
ArchivesSpace is an open source, web application for managing archives information. The application is designed to support core functions in archives administration such as accessioning; description and arrangement of processed materials including analog, hybrid, and born-digital content; management of authorities (agents and subjects) and rights; and reference service. The application supports collection management through collection management records, tracking of events, and a growing number of administrative reports. The application also functions as a metadata authoring tool, enabling the generation of EAD, MARCXML, MODS, Dublin Core, and METS formatted data.
The WGBH Media Library and Archives developed PBSpace, a plugin for ArchivesSpace, that adds new properties and object relationships in the application so that PBCore structure, elements, and attributes can be better represented. The development of PBSpace has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.